This page contains the content of Goodland USD 352 Technology Plan. This plan is pending approval by the following: Technology Committee (April 2009), USD 352 Board of Education (April 27, 2009), and the Kansas State Department of Education (May 1, 2009).
This plan is intended to continue to serve as our "road map" for changing the way we use educational technology in our classrooms.
In my opinion, it is each person's personal responsibility to understand our global economy in the context of 21st Century thinking and learning and to align our visions for how this redefines our roles as teacher and learner.
The rubric from KSDE, which is what most schools in Kansas use for technology planning, is separated in to the following sections:
Board Approved District Policies
Committee Membership/Stakeholder Representation
Technology Needs Assessment
Instructional Technology Vision Statement
District Technology Use Goals and Objectivies (Alignment to the Vision)
Technology Use Assessments
Curriculum Integration and Enhancement (Alignment to the Vision)
Assessment of Curriculum Integration & Enhancement
Curriculum Integration Assessments
Professional Development - Teachers & Administrators (Alignment to the Vision)
Technology Professional Development Assessment
As we go forward in our conversations about how we implement our plan, my hope is this becomes the first of many collaborative projects about learning expectations, goals, and assessment on a district-wide scale.
Goodland USD 352
Instructional Technology Vision Statement
To develop responsible, self-directed students with the 21st Century technology skills to succeed and prosper in an ever-changing, globalized economy built on information, knowledge and innovation.
Student Learning
Students will acquire 21st century knowledge and skills in the context of learning academic content
Student portfolios and senior-year projects will be pursued methods of learning and assessing 21st century skills
Students will be provided career awareness and internships that offer opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom
All students will possess the tools and skills necessary for research, communication, collaboration, abstract reasoning, analysis, and problem-solving
Students will generate products and services with technology resources demonstrating in-depth content knowledge
Students will demonstrate adept use of at least five of six communication modes e.g. voice/sound, text, images, design, presentation & interactivity
Technology resources are used effectively, available and adequately supported for all students
The student to computer ratio is 1:1 and allows for the mobility and flexibility of anytime, anywhere learning
Instructional Methods
Teachers exhibit student-centered classrooms
Information literacy skills and visual literacy skills are identified and implemented with all classroom teachers with skills/practices measured for all students
Technology and information literacy is valued and essential to school goals
The use of inquiry and investigation are essential elements of everyday learning
Teachers demonstrate pervasive use of multiple technological tools to provide differentiated instruction and address student learning styles identified with the P.E.T. Learning Styles tool
Teachers demonstrate skills in designing and assessing effective curriculum integrating technology resources to transform student learning
Teachers explore and pilot effective uses of technology, developing new and innovative curriculum models
Teachers communicate knowledge and experiences gained from technological exploration
Home/School Connection
Collaboration with parents is regular and pervasive
Formalized extensions for learning between home and school are created--e.g. Empowered Desktop--Tools on the Empowered Desktop are available for student and parent use off-site. The backpack, library databases, and formative assessment tools are valuable tools for extending learning.
Staff Development
Professional standards are focused on learning instructional strategies which perpetuate pedagogy appropriate for student-centered learning environments
Staff development engages staff in expanded real-time coaching, reflection and collaboration through learning communities (Focus Groups)
Adequate hours of technology learning are provided
Leadership
Adequate, perpetual funding for technology needs is in place
District Technology Use Goals and Objectives (Alignment to the Vision)
Goal #1: Incorporate 21st century content Goal #2: Increase learning and thinking skills Goal #3: Incorporate ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Goal #4: Develop 21st Century Life skills
Technology Use Assessments
Authentic 21st century assessments are the essential foundation of a 21st century education; therefore, the district's assessments will measure all learning goals--core-subject goals as well as 21st century content, learning and thinking skills, ICT literacy, and 21st Century life skills.
A balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with effective classroom assessment, offers students a powerful means of mastering the content and skills central to success.
The district's assessment plan will include the use of tools like P.E.T. Learning Styles, SurveyMonkey, and the assessment projects being developed by top K-12 educational leadership organizations like The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, CoSN, and McREL. Assessments will incorporate the use of digital, web-based tools that feature detailed rubrics and on-line grade reports for evaluating and providing students feedback on their progress.
In addition to district-wide surveys, the PDC committee members, at the building level, verbally survey staff and provide input for the expansion of staff development opportunities in and out of the district.
The technology committee members work within their schools, to initiate conversations about technology-driven staff development. Those conversations are then shared at the Technology Committee meetings and are used in the planning stages for in-district staff development.
The district's goal is to implement results-based evaluation that will indicate measurable growth in the learning goals for both students and staff.
What is clear from the district's technology survey is that the majority of the staff is at the emerging level of integrating technology in the curriculum, and 18% are at the leadership level. All staff are able to explore new technology tools as well as reflect on "familiar" tools and design lessons which integrate both the new and "familiar" technologies.
Curriculum Integration and Enhancement (Alignment to the Vision)
Staff continue to be encouraged to move toward the leadership level of technology integration. This process is being perpetuated through learning communities like the Laptop Initiatives I and II, "Web in the Classroom," "Charting a Course for Literacy Excellence," "Visual Tools for Literacy," "Integrating Technology in the Classroom," "Academic Dishonesty," "Increasing Student Achievement through Differentiated Instruction," "Integrating Technology into the Role of School Leaders," "Web Design as well as grade-level team collaboration periods.
Also, the district has developed a group of lead technology staff members--teachers and support staff members who have become adept with specific technological tools and the integration of those tools to support and/or enhance student learning. The charge of the "lead techs" is to provide staff development for the learning communities (e.g. Laptop Initiative I and II, "Putting the Web in Your Classroom") as well as one-on-one or small group support in learning how to use the vast array of technological tools available to staff--e.g. printing tickets for KCA, using the formative assessments from CETE and on the Empowered Desktop, developing practice assessments students can do on-line at home (or the public library), using the electronic backpack, finding websites that enhance learning, and collaboration on presentation tools and projects.
Examples of digital tools used in integration:
P.E.T Learning Styles
Atomic Learning
United Streaming
Weblogs
Wiki's
Podcasts
Reading/Literature Management Systems
Moodle
Open-Source Software
Desktop Publishing Software
Productivity Software
Presentation/Communication Software
Video Creation/Editing Software
HTML Editors
Curriculum Integration Assessments
Teachers participating in the technology initiatives will prepare technology portfolios which will be assessed with a technology-integration rubric based on ISTE standards for teachers and administrators.
As a part of the district's results-based staff development plan, teachers will document peer observations and self-reflections.
Documentation from PDC application and impact level reports of technology integration
Document of the percentage of staff who utilize the recommended technological documentation of standards-based learning.
Professional Development - Teachers & Administrators (Alignment to the Vision)
As the district continues to grow and improve the staff development model to meet the requirements for 21st century skills, the 7 hour and 40 minutes technology staff development requirement was removed from the negotiated agreement, and a new staff development model was developed with the implementation of the Teacher Laptop Initiative in August 2004.
Over the past two years the district's staff development program, which integrates the innovative use of instructional technology, visual literacy, collaborative learning communities, and leadership and team-building skills, has evolved into year-long "Focus Group" strands.
In addition to district-wide inservice days, the Teacher Laptop Initiative provides 45 plus hours to learn the use of digital tools to create "new" content which addresses the four learning goals relative to 21st century skills. Master teachers serve as coaches to principals and teachers, who use detailed rubrics the district has developed for the evaluation process.
Development for the sustainability of the learning environment is in progress as shareholders study relevant, research-driven documentation from the field like that published by ACOT.
The Technology Leadership Team and lead technology staff will design professional development which models best practices and provides access to digital tools to prepare teachers to teach the full range of 21st Century Skills as referenced in the technology goals and objectives.
All teachers are afforded the opportunity to attend state-wide technology conferences and are encouraged to implement new ideas in the classroom. Lead technology staff are encouraged to present at state-level conferences and are often afforded the opportunity to attend regional conferences, and when possible, national-level conferences. Every effort is made to provide equipment to staff seeking to integrate technology into the curriculum.
The expectation is that all administrative personal will participate in 21st Century leadership training
Technology Professional Development Assessment
Using tools like the SurveyMonkey, staff development sessions will be evaluated at the end of each session. A pre and a post-test will be administered for Focus Groups like the Laptop Initiatives.
Survey staff to measure progression on the continuum of technology integration.
Technology Committee minutes documenting teacher feedback to the school's Technology Representative
This plan is intended to continue to serve as our "road map" for changing the way we use educational technology in our classrooms.
In my opinion, it is each person's personal responsibility to understand our global economy in the context of 21st Century thinking and learning and to align our visions for how this redefines our roles as teacher and learner.
The rubric from KSDE, which is what most schools in Kansas use for technology planning, is separated in to the following sections:
As we go forward in our conversations about how we implement our plan, my hope is this becomes the first of many collaborative projects about learning expectations, goals, and assessment on a district-wide scale.
Goodland USD 352
Instructional Technology Vision Statement
To develop responsible, self-directed students with the 21st Century technology skills to succeed and prosper in an ever-changing, globalized economy built on information, knowledge and innovation.
Student Learning
Instructional Methods
Home/School Connection
Staff Development
Leadership
District Technology Use Goals and Objectives (Alignment to the Vision)
Goal #1: Incorporate 21st century content
Goal #2: Increase learning and thinking skills
Goal #3: Incorporate ICT (Information & Communication Technology)
Goal #4: Develop 21st Century Life skills
Technology Use Assessments
Authentic 21st century assessments are the essential foundation of a 21st century education; therefore, the district's assessments will measure all learning goals--core-subject goals as well as 21st century content, learning and thinking skills, ICT literacy, and 21st Century life skills.
A balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with effective classroom assessment, offers students a powerful means of mastering the content and skills central to success.
The district's assessment plan will include the use of tools like P.E.T. Learning Styles, SurveyMonkey, and the assessment projects being developed by top K-12 educational leadership organizations like The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, CoSN, and McREL. Assessments will incorporate the use of digital, web-based tools that feature detailed rubrics and on-line grade reports for evaluating and providing students feedback on their progress.
In addition to district-wide surveys, the PDC committee members, at the building level, verbally survey staff and provide input for the expansion of staff development opportunities in and out of the district.
The technology committee members work within their schools, to initiate conversations about technology-driven staff development. Those conversations are then shared at the Technology Committee meetings and are used in the planning stages for in-district staff development.
The district's goal is to implement results-based evaluation that will indicate measurable growth in the learning goals for both students and staff.
What is clear from the district's technology survey is that the majority of the staff is at the emerging level of integrating technology in the curriculum, and 18% are at the leadership level. All staff are able to explore new technology tools as well as reflect on "familiar" tools and design lessons which integrate both the new and "familiar" technologies.
Curriculum Integration and Enhancement (Alignment to the Vision)
Staff continue to be encouraged to move toward the leadership level of technology integration. This process is being perpetuated through learning communities like the Laptop Initiatives I and II, "Web in the Classroom," "Charting a Course for Literacy Excellence," "Visual Tools for Literacy," "Integrating Technology in the Classroom," "Academic Dishonesty," "Increasing Student Achievement through Differentiated Instruction," "Integrating Technology into the Role of School Leaders," "Web Design as well as grade-level team collaboration periods.
Also, the district has developed a group of lead technology staff members--teachers and support staff members who have become adept with specific technological tools and the integration of those tools to support and/or enhance student learning. The charge of the "lead techs" is to provide staff development for the learning communities (e.g. Laptop Initiative I and II, "Putting the Web in Your Classroom") as well as one-on-one or small group support in learning how to use the vast array of technological tools available to staff--e.g. printing tickets for KCA, using the formative assessments from CETE and on the Empowered Desktop, developing practice assessments students can do on-line at home (or the public library), using the electronic backpack, finding websites that enhance learning, and collaboration on presentation tools and projects.
Examples of digital tools used in integration:
Curriculum Integration Assessments
Professional Development - Teachers & Administrators (Alignment to the Vision)
As the district continues to grow and improve the staff development model to meet the requirements for 21st century skills, the 7 hour and 40 minutes technology staff development requirement was removed from the negotiated agreement, and a new staff development model was developed with the implementation of the Teacher Laptop Initiative in August 2004.
Over the past two years the district's staff development program, which integrates the innovative use of instructional technology, visual literacy, collaborative learning communities, and leadership and team-building skills, has evolved into year-long "Focus Group" strands.
In addition to district-wide inservice days, the Teacher Laptop Initiative provides 45 plus hours to learn the use of digital tools to create "new" content which addresses the four learning goals relative to 21st century skills. Master teachers serve as coaches to principals and teachers, who use detailed rubrics the district has developed for the evaluation process.
Development for the sustainability of the learning environment is in progress as shareholders study relevant, research-driven documentation from the field like that published by ACOT.
The Technology Leadership Team and lead technology staff will design professional development which models best practices and provides access to digital tools to prepare teachers to teach the full range of 21st Century Skills as referenced in the technology goals and objectives.
All teachers are afforded the opportunity to attend state-wide technology conferences and are encouraged to implement new ideas in the classroom. Lead technology staff are encouraged to present at state-level conferences and are often afforded the opportunity to attend regional conferences, and when possible, national-level conferences. Every effort is made to provide equipment to staff seeking to integrate technology into the curriculum.
The expectation is that all administrative personal will participate in 21st Century leadership training
Technology Professional Development Assessment
Using tools like the SurveyMonkey, staff development sessions will be evaluated at the end of each session. A pre and a post-test will be administered for Focus Groups like the Laptop Initiatives.
Survey staff to measure progression on the continuum of technology integration.
Technology Committee minutes documenting teacher feedback to the school's Technology Representative